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Paucity of funds cripples disabled welfare dept
The Department for Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens has got a raw deal in the allocation of funds for the welfare of disabled even after a year of tall promises made by both the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
In Telangana, Finance Minister Eatala Rajender assured that the government would consider allocating three per cent of the State budget for the disabled. Only ` 40 crore has been earmarked till now.
Hyderabad: The Department for Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens has got a raw deal in the allocation of funds for the welfare of disabled even after a year of tall promises made by both the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2014 at Rajahmundry, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had promised that the government would spend Rs 2,000 crore in the next five years for the welfare of the disabled. But, even after a year, the government has only allocated a paltry sum of Rs 45 crore in the budget.
In Telangana, Finance Minister Eatala Rajender assured that the government would consider allocating three per cent of the State budget for the disabled. Only Rs 40 crore has been earmarked till now. However, the Telangana government is in the forefront at distributing pension as compared to AP.
In November 2014, the Telangana government started the Aasara scheme. Accordingly, about 4.38 lakh disabled persons are receiving Rs 1,500 per month irrespective of the percentage of disability. Around 50,000 people with disabilities have been receiving pensions. However, the disabled with above 80 per cent of disability have been receiving Rs 1,500 pension per month and persons with 40 to 70 per cent are getting Rs 1,000.
In the case of backlog vacancies, the AP government identified around 1,400 posts and filled up 623 of it. An official of the department said that there were some bottlenecks in filling up posts. Meanwhile in Telangana, as many as 341 disabled persons got jobs in 2013-14. .
The recruitment of backlog vacancies has been extended up to March 2016. M Prashanti, director, Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens, Telangana, rued that the allocation of 3 per cent funds to the disabled persons is not taking place. Speaking to The Hans India, K Sarada, director, Disabled Welfare and Senior Citizens, AP, said that the CM has agreed to establish four homes for the destitute, aged, and crippled persons.
Koduru Appala Naidu, vice president, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), AP, demanded the government to issue a white paper on the allocation of funds for the welfare of the disabled. T Rajender, State secretary, NPRD, Telangana, said that the government should allocate three per cent of the budget for the welfare of the disabled.
